Myxedema

Myxedema – the disease resulting from decrease or the termination of receipt in blood of hormones of a thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). With a myxedema people at any age, including children get sick, but women during climacteric reorganization of an organism are most subject to it. This category of people has this disease five times more often than the others.

Myxedema reasons

The myxedema develops at a hypothyroidism which accompanies diseases of a thyroid gland or its inborn insufficiency, respectively, the disease happens primary and secondary.

Primary myxedema arises as an independent disease at damage of a thyroid gland. Functions of a thyroid gland are lost owing to an inflammation, a tumor, the autoimmune attack, an injury including the operating room, after introduction of a radioiodine at treatment of a hyperthyroidism. Sometimes the hypothyroidism owing to a lack of iodine of the area of residence (a local craw) is the reason of a myxedema.

As the reason of an inborn hypothyroidism most often serves infectious intoxication of the woman during pregnancy.

The secondary myxedema is one of brain pathology symptoms, namely gipotalamo-pituitary system.

Myxedema symptoms

Hormones of a thyroid gland influence work of an organism in general therefore a myxedema – the disease differing in plurality of symptoms which are present from all systems of an organism. However there are characteristic symptoms of a myxedema which combination is a diagnostic character of this disease. Treat such signs:

• Myxedema of skin and hypodermic cellulose. The myxedema differs from other types of hypostases in the fact that when pressing deepening as it happens at other types of hypostases does not remain a finger on skin. As a result of hypostasis the person becomes bloated and masklike, features rough, baggies lower eyelids appear;
• Hair are fragile, thin, easily drop out, nails fragile, exfoliating. This symptom of a myxedema is caused by the dystrophic changes in skin and hypodermic cellulose arising because of a myxedema;
• Rough, hoarse voice that happens because of hypostasis of phonatory bands, because of a paraglossa the speech can become muffled, greased;

As appears from the above-mentioned, the leading symptoms of a myxedema are a consequence of the same myxedema.

Other symptoms of a myxedema are characteristic of all types of hypothyroidisms: the merzlyavost caused by a circulatory unefficiency, heartaches, fatigue, drowsiness, decrease in the general tone, the general block and disturbance of ability to concentration, a loss of appetite, locks. The musculoskeletal system suffers, there are mialgiya (muscle pain), muscular weakness, arthralgias (joint pain), arthroses. There is a polyserositis - the combined inflammation of internal covers (a peritoneum, a pericardium, a pleura).

The myxedema at children's age is shown by a delay of physical intellectual and sexual development.

Children can have an inborn myxedema or early. Than earlier function of a thyroid gland was broken, especially health of the child is subject to serious effects. The inborn myxedema is shown by cretinism – heavy frustration of all systems of an organism, the most expressed from which the growth inhibition, ugliness owing to maldevelopment of the musculoskeletal device, and considerable decrease in intelligence is. At an early myxedema development of the child stops from the moment of developing of a disease.

Diagnosis of a myxedema

The diagnosis of a myxedema is made on the basis of a research of content in blood of hormones of a thyroid gland, and also hypophysis hormones which regulate intake of hormones of a thyroid gland in blood. The thyroid gland is investigated by means of ultrasonography and a fine-needle aspiration puncture of a thyroid gland and a research of the received contents.

Treatment of a myxedema

Treatment of a myxedema consists in correction of hormonal insufficiency by intake of hormones of a thyroid gland from the outside. The dosage is calculated individually, the drug containing hormones is accepted once a day.

If iodic insufficiency is established, drugs of iodine and the diet rich with iodinated products are appointed (a laminaria, sea fish and other seafood, walnuts, iodized salt).

The lost functions of a thyroid gland are not recovered therefore treatment of a myxedema has to be lifelong.

Forecast of a myxedema

The disease is characterized by slow increase of symptomatology therefore if it is possible to diagnose and begin adequate treatment of a myxedema in time, the disease will proceed is benign though to be treated and it is necessary for life.

As for a myxedema at children's age, earlier recognition of a disease is of great importance that in practice is difficult. At an inborn myxedema the forecast adverse, at early it is possible to improve considerably the condition of the patient carrying out replaceable hormonal therapy, however is not possible to achieve full elimination of symptoms of a myxedema, as a rule.

Pretibialny myxedema

It is separately necessary to consider such disease as a pretibialny myxedema, or a thyroid dermopathy. Unlike a classical myxedema, the pretibialny myxedema arises not at reduced, and at excessively increased function of a thyroid gland, a so-called thyrotoxicosis. The diffusion toxic craw better known in the people as a bazedova a disease happens the thyrotoxicosis reason most often.

The Pretibialny myxedema has local manifestations, unlike the usual myxedema which is shown diffuzno. A symptom of a myxedema pretibialny is emergence on the lower part of front surfaces of shins of modified sites of skin. Skin on these sites becomes rough, is thickened, gains red or lilac-red color, the strengthened keratinization is noted. On affected areas of skin speakers hair follicles are allocated, afterwards hair drop out. External symptoms of a myxedema pretibialny sometimes are followed by feeling of a severe itch.

Treatment of a myxedema pretibialny is carried out in a complex with correction of disturbances of the thyroid gland which became a disease origin. Topical treatment of a myxedema in case the disease is followed by an itch, consists in use of ointments, containing steroid antiinflammatory drugs. In most cases patients with a pretibialny myxedema are disturbed by only cosmetic defect, and then special treatment of a myxedema is not carried out, and treat a basic disease.